


The Melancholy of Jung Jaehyun

by kai of the wild (nakamoon)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Comedic Attempts Were Made, Lawyers Too!, M/M, Superhero Jaehyun, Supervillain Doyoung, good boy lee taeyong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-26
Updated: 2019-09-26
Packaged: 2020-10-28 18:42:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20783315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nakamoon/pseuds/kai%20of%20the%20wild
Summary: "Hey, have you seen the news?" Taeyong reads the newspaper, "Blackout and Electron had a showdown yesterday night," he says with amusement. "Blackout hit Electron with a school bus.""Sounds painful," Doyoung snorts before taking a sip from his coffee."Of course it fucking does," Jaehyun grits out, the throbbing pain in between his ribs pulsating.or; Blackout is a supervillain, Electron is a superhero and Taeyong, unknowingly, keeps trying to set them up.





	The Melancholy of Jung Jaehyun

**Author's Note:**

  * For [eelyah](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eelyah/gifts).

> long time no see, dojae! 
> 
> this is for haylee who wanted a super au. this isn't it haylee, i'm sorry. but hey, at least there's jaehyun in spandex.
> 
> this is the first time i write a fic with jaehyun as the sole pov, it was unsettling as it was fun. please enjoy!

If you were to tell a young Jung Jaehyun that he would eventually become one of Seoul’s most iconic superheroes, he’d jump in glee and start running around in circles before accidentally shooting an electric zap. That, in fact, happened many times during his childhood—so sue him, he had a hard time controlling his powers when he was little. It’s all better now. He’s an _adult_ _now. _(Johnny would disagree, especially when he’s the one getting tasered when Jaehyun holds on to him during horror movies).

Now, if you were to tell a young Jung Jaehyun that he’d get _ blundered _ by a school bus, he’d probably end up crying, maybe even let out a stream of pee down his chubby legs. 

To be fair, even now, as he sees the gigantic piece of metal flying directly at him, Jaehyun kind of wants to piss his pants. “Fuck!” is all he can say before the collision happens.

It hurts. A lot. I mean, it doesn’t _ kill _him, not the way it would probably squish a normal human to death, but it’s still terribly painful. Jaehyun can feel his pain receptors flare up before his vision turns all-white. Swatted like a mere stinking fly, how embarrassing.

“_Blackout_,” Jaehyun says, clenching his teeth as the pain courses throughout his body. “I’m going to kill you!”

“My, my,” Blackout, just a few meters in front of Jaehyun, says, pseudo-saccharine tone mocking him. “That doesn’t exactly sound like something the beloved Electron would say. Superheroes are supposed to be nice.”

“Not to you, nuisance,” he says, sensing the familiar feeling of sparkles forming on his fingertips. “I'm just here to obliterate you.”

There’s a beat of silence. Even with the black mask covering the top half of his face, Jaehyun can see Blackout blink a few times, lips pressed together tightly before opening it to cackle. Mid-air, he throws his head back in loud laughter. “You ridiculous piece of—”

A thunderous beam flies out of Jaehyun’s open palm - straight at Blackout. The voltage isn’t high enough to kill him, Jaehyun _ never _goes that far, but it’s probably enough to fry his hair and make the guy unconscious. 

He can already feel the blessed satisfaction of finally catching the ever-elusive, ever-annoying supervillain, Blackout. 

Except Jaehyun’s thunder strike never gets to hit Blackout, of course it fucking doesn’t.

“Blackout!” a shrill voice is heard a few meters away from them. Only one thing—or rather, only one person—could possibly be faster than one of Jaehyun’s thunder strikes. Sonic Zoom.

Before either of them can react, a flash of light streaks across the sky, just as Jaehyun’s thunder tries to strike Blackout.

“FUCK!” he can hear the supervillain’s whining even from afar. “He got my finger!!! Hyu—Sonic, you should've been here faster. My finger is… my finger is _ charred, _what the fuck!”

“Be more grateful, old man!” Sonic punches him in the arm as Jaehyun is only left looking at the pair, incredulous. “That could’ve been all of you. A piece of fried chicken.”

_ Sonic Zoom_, almost as infuriating as Blackout himself. A little pubescent boy in red spandex who follows along with all of Blackout’s malevolent plans. He’s like a little tick, growing in power and evilness by sticking to Blackout’s side.

“Electron,” a smooth voice says, a figure arriving next to him, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t get Sonic on time.”

Jaehyun sighs, turning to his young side-kick, both flying in mid-air, “It’s ok Morph, we’ll get them soon.” He yells next, making sure he’s heard by Blackout, “How does it feel to be saved by a child, Blackout? Can’t imagine it feels too good.”

“I’m not a child you arrogant asshole,” Sonic Boom’s brazen yell resounds across the sky, “I’m gonna get him today, Blackout, don’t try and hold me back,” he threatens, in turn making Morph clench his fists, ready to attack at any given moment.

Jaehyun’s shoulder starts pulsating, the throbbing pain from the bus not receding. He holds down a groan and a complaint; he’s not necessarily in bad shape, he could still fight even with an injured shoulder, it’s just that Jaehyun would rather _ not. _

Blackout shakes his head, holding Sonic back, “We are leaving. But we’ll come back and when we do,” he yells louder, making sure Jaehyun hears every word perfectly, “We’ll destroy _ anyone _ who tries to stop us.” Jaehyun’s pretty sure Blackout just wants to put a band-aid on his boo boo. It’s ok, he’ll let him go away this time.

“Run away, coward!” Jaehyun taunts, shoulder aching in pain. “Can’t blame you for running away.”

Blackout grunts, nostrils flaring. Before Jaehyun can move a muscle, Sonic grabs onto Blackout, both of them zooming past Jaehyun and Morph.

Jaehyun can’t be too sure but, for a moment, as Blackout flies past him, he sees a smirk. A little arrogant smirk. He doesn’t have time to react before a minuscule ember of fire is thrown his way. Jaehyun blinks in confusion, wondering what the hell has happened. 

_ Whatever, _he thinks, right now, all he wants is to go home and take a bath and get all this soot off. He has work tomorrow morning.

“Jaehyun,” Morph gasps. Jaehyun feels his own body tremble before Morph utters the words. “Your eyebrows are burnt off.”

⚡️

Working at the Ministry of Justice is not what Jaehyun would call _ fun_. There's always something to do and not enough time to rest. It’s always _ sign this paper_, _ go over this case, read up on the evidence. _He likes it, he can't say he doesn't, but sometimes he needs a damn break from it all.

“Here's your coffee, Jaehyun,” Mark peeks his head into Jaehyun’s office, the scrawny college student looking too small in his suit and tie. He walks over to the desk after Jaehyun waves him in. “Two creams, no sugar.”

“Thanks Mark, you life-saver,” he says, stretching his arms, still sitting down.

“Long night?” Marks asks with raise of brows.

“Yeah,” he grumbles, “Had to go over a bunch of papers for the Chang Woosun case after getting home last night. I had like two hours of sleep.”

Mark whistles in empathy, his boyish features making him looking young. “You should take a break, you look like you’re about to drop dead.”

“He’s right,” a familiar voice says from the doorframe. “You look like roadkill, Jaehyun.”

“Ah, thank you, just what I needed to hear,” he frowns at the newcomer. As always, Lee Taeyong looks fresh and entirely too cheerful to be working in this hellhole.

“Prosecutor Lee, good morning,” Mark squeaks out in greeting. “I’ll be heading out. Please convince him to take a break.”

“Don't worry, you know I will,” Taeyong grins at him before rumpling Mark’s stark black hair. Jaehyun knows that sentiment, Mark Lee is just that one kid you want to coddle over.

"Don't forget that I need the DA's approved list of witnesses by tonight, Mark," he calls over as Mark scrambles past Taeyong and into the hallway. Jaehyun sighs again, slumping back into his seat.

Taeyong turns his stare back on him, “Seriously, Jae, I know we have a job but - try and relax a little. You know, my uncle Yuno had a stroke last year and I’m _ sure _it's because he couldn't catch a break from his job.”

“I'm _ not _gonna have a stroke, Taeyong, I’m twenty-seven, not fifty.”

“Hopefully you won't,” Taeyong nods for a second, now directly in front of his desk. He pauses, scrunching his face in confusion—“Jaehyun, what _ happened _ to your eyebrows?”

Jaehyun’s hand instantly goes up to his forehead to cover whatever’s left of his dignity. The right eyebrow is not _ that _ bad, only half of it got burnt - his left one though - the whole thing got incinerated to ashes, leaving him brow-bald. Jung Jaehyun’s famous, ** _precious_****, **beautiful eyebrows, designated as a cultural treasure to the world by UNESCO in 1997. Now he's left sporting badly done makeup faux-brows that make even Lee Taeyong appalled.

“It's a new fashion trend, Taeyong. Keep up with the times, please.”

“Oh? One of those instagram trends?” Taeyong reconsiders, nodding in understanding. “I think it might suit you.”

“Anyway,” Jaehyun clears his throat, “Not that I don't appreciate your lovely company in times of stress, but what are you doing here?”

Taeyong smiles before shaking a brown paper bag that Jaehyun hadn't seen before, “I bought some bagels for lunch. From the bakery in the corner. Got us the last fresh batch so move your ass and come with me to the cafeteria.”

Jaehyun sighs, looking at his unrevised stack of papers once. Food sounds way nicer than being stuck in his office for even one more godforsaken second. “Is it a strawberry jam bagel?”

“Who do you think I am?” Taeyong rolls his eyes, “_ Of course _it's the strawberry jam bagel, Jung Jaehyun.”

“I guess I’m in.” He stands up immediately, trailing after the much shorter Taeyong out of the office. His stomach grumbles and he tries reaching out for the bagel bag before Taeyong moves it away.

Jaehyun would try and reach for it again, but the sudden ache in between his ribs makes him visibly wince and retreat. He put ice on it last night, which helped with the bruising, but the injury still hurts like a motherfucker.

“Are you ok?” Taeyong asks, confused. “Muscle ache?” he guesses.

“Rough sex,” Jaehyun blatantly shrugs, avoiding the answer.

“Yeah right,” Taeyong snorts and Jaehyun feels extremely offended by it. “You barely have time to sleep, let alone delve into the complex intricacies of human relationships. Which—what a wonderful coincidence! Doyoung, hello!”

The name leaves Taeyong's lips and Jaehyun feels the instant need to throw up. It’s like a natural, biological reaction to the name.

Jaehyun can only watch as Taeyong grins in over dramatic fashion, patting the other man with enthusiasm. The man in question, Doyoung, raises a single eyebrow, lips staying in an unamused and firm line. “You told me to meet you here for breakfast.”

“Right, I did.” Taeyong laughs tightly and Jaehyun doesn't miss the way he sends him a side glance. He sighs; this isn't the first time Taeyong acts a fool in front of both of them.

“What did you get me?” Doyoung asks plainly, looking as dejected and annoyed as Jaehyun feels. Jaehyun hasn't said anything, he doesn't want to start his morning on the wrong foot. 

“Peach scone!” Taeyong smiles.

Doyoung pauses, looks at Jaehyun for a beat, disgust evident in his face, before turning to look back at Taeyong, silent sigh leaving his lips. “Fine.”

And that's how Jaehyun ends up angrily chewing on a bagel, sitting directly in front of Kim Doyoung, who, in all honesty, doesn't seem to be faring much better than him. Jaehyun can't even pay attention to whatever it is Taeyong's babbling on about, his focus is entirely on the slimy man in front of him. Doyoung is pointedly not making eye contact, pretending to be listening to Taeyong, but Jaehyun _ knows _ \- he knows Doyoung’s aware of the intense stare Jaehyun is giving him.

Taeyong lets out a happy hum, oblivious to the tension in their small three-person table, before taking a bite of his cheese croissant. While Taeyong is chewing, no one else makes an effort to make conversation. Or so that's how it’d usually be. Today Doyoung is feeling brave. Snarky, even.

“Jung, your eyebrows look quite atrocious today.”

“No, no, Doyoung,” Taeyong quickly waves, “It’s an instagram _ trend._” He gives Doyoung a pointed look.

Internally, Jaehyun is seething. Externally, he smiles. Tightly. “I’m sure you wouldn't understand, Kim. Do you even know how to use instagram?”

Doyoung levels him with a look. “Of course. I have a great amount of followers, actually.”

_ Interesting_, Jaehyun raises an eyebrow at the piece of information. One of these days he’ll look for Doyoung’s mysterious instagram account and see for himself just how many followers the other has. He couldn't possibly have more than Jaehyun and his twenty thousand count. Doyoung probably thinks fifty followers is a lot.

He won’t take the bait this time, instead deciding to chew on his food rather than start another daily argument with Kim Doyoung. He tries busying himself with anything else, which mostly results in him shredding the poor napkin in front of him - it is then, however, that something catches his eye. Jaehyun looks at the newspaper in front of Taeyong with a slight frown. Before he can read the bold-lettered title in its entirety, Taeyong takes the paper, still munching on his pastry.

"Hey, have you seen the news?" Taeyong reads the newspaper, "Blackout and Electron had a showdown yesterday night," he says with amusement. "Blackout hit Electron with a school bus."

"Sounds painful," Doyoung snorts before taking a sip from his black coffee.

"Of course it fucking does," Jaehyun grits out, the throbbing pain in between his ribs pulsating.

“Those two are always at it,” Taeyong says, frown on his face. “It’s weird, to be honest.”

Both Doyoung and Jaehyun whip their heads to look at their traitorous friend.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s not weird.”

Taeyong looks back at them like a deer caught in headlights. Slowly, he raises an eyebrow, “Yes it is.”

“How is it weird? Electron is literally just doing his job. Which is to catch horrible, _ annoying _ pests like Blackout.” Jaehyun crosses his arms in defense of the superhero.

Doyoung gives him a smile, fake as it could ever be. “Electron should consider a change in careers, he’s been trying to catch Blackout for months and he’s no closer than the day he started.”

“_Blackout _is the one who should retire, this city certainly doesn't need any more half-assed supervillains.”

“He isn't _ that _bad,” Taeyong interrupts, and Doyoung preens, straightening his back. “He mostly just messes with the police. He’s a lukewarm villain.” Doyoung’s face falls in comic fashion.

“What do you mean _ lukewarm_?” Doyoung jumps and Jaehyun snorts behind his cup of caramel, whip-creamed macchiato. “He made it into last year’s Most Handsome Supers of Seoul.”

“Electron got second place in that list.”

“That list is bogus,” Taeyong rolls his eyes, “They all wear masks, I bet they're ugly underneath them.”

Two gasps, affronted.

“Interesting,” Taeyong finishes the last remnants of his coffee with a gulp. “I didn't know you were both fans of supers. So much in common, you two.” He doesn't miss the way Taeyong winks at Doyoung and Jaehyun hates it. “Anywho, I’m off to get that DA list but by all means, stay here longer to discuss this strange interest of yours.”

Wordlessly, Taeyong stands up, gone as quick as he came into Jaehyun’s office to snatch him away into this _ unfortunate _set up. He’s been like this for months now, convinced that his two best friends are going to magically hit it off and fall in love and get married and stop being so lonely and cranky at work. Taeyong doesn't seem to get the hint that Jaehyun and Doyoung despise the other’s mere breathing.

Doyoung sighs, looking at Jaehyun once. “Your eyebrows do look terrible. Awful.”

And with that, he is gone, leaving Jaehyun to whine, lamenting the loss of his beautiful eyebrows once more. “And whose fault is that?” he grumbles under his breath, plotting on how to get back at prosecutor Kim Doyoung.

⚡️

Seven months ago, Jaehyun wouldn't have hated Taeyong’s attempts at meddling with his love life, in fact, he would've welcomed them with open arms.

He still remembers Doyoung's first day at the Ministry of Justice, with a crisp gray vest and a pair of wide, innocent - deceitful - eyes and a jaw that made Jaehyun salivate like a dog in heat.

“Oh, by the way, Jaehyun,” Taeyong says that fateful morning as they laze around the copy machine room, “Kim Doyoung is coming in today. Please be nice to him, you know it sucks being the new guy at work and he’s a good friend of mine.”

“Is that your friend from college? The new prosecutor from Gyeonggi?” Jaehyun raises an eyebrow, half-paying attention to Taeyong while pondering what he’s going to have for dinner that night.

“Yes. He’s a very tender-hearted individual so I’m sure you’ll get along fine.”

Jaehyun doesn't think much of that tender-hearted, sentimental, soft baby friend of Taeyong's. At least not until lunch break, while he’s in the middle of microwaving his gourmet instant cheese ramen.

“Is this the only microwave?” a velvety voice surprises Jaehyun, making him look away from the rotating microwave plate.

When he turns around, Jaehyun is met with the prettiest man he’s encountered since that morning in the bathroom mirror. Needless to say, that's an achievement. The man is wearing a tight vest over a white shirt and a red tie, looking the most professional and delectable and Jaehyun has to mentally slap himself into coherency. “Yes.” He looks at his almost cooked ramen - there's still _ 0:35 _ displayed on the screen - and presses the stop button just for Doyoung. “But I’m done, you can go ahead and use it.”

He gives him his award-winning grin, the one that shows off his immaculate dimples and makes his eyes squint in endearing crescent moons - according to Jaehyun’s mom, at least. 

Doyoung must have his mom’s taste, Jaehyun is proud to note, for he stares at Jaehyun for a beat too long before color rises up his cheeks in almost imperceptible manner. He clears his throat, “Thank you…” he trails off, slight questioning tilt in his tone.

“Jaehyun,” he replies in an instant, “And you must be Kim Doyoung.”

“How did you know?” Doyoung tilts his head in question, putting a lunchbox inside the microwave and punching in exactly two minutes.

“Taeyong mentioned we’d have a new guy coming in,” he says, playing with his chopsticks mindlessly, waiting for his ramen to cool down, “I know everyone around here, trust me, I never forget a face.” _ Especially one as pretty as yours, _is what Jaehyun wants to say but he dare not flirt in his workspace, at least not so early in the morning.

Doyoung raises a single eyebrow with a slight twist of the mouth, either amused at Jaehyun’s charming personality or at his pestering existence - he still can't tell right now.

“Enjoy your cold ramen,” Doyoung finally says, taking his own food from the microwave and walking past Jaehyun with a half smile.

It is then, that Jaehyun knows he and Taeyong have particularly different views of Kim Doyoung. Taeyong sees him as a tender-hearted individual; Jaehyun wants to be spat on by him. And so, he falls a little bit in love. At least for a while.

⚡

There’s a new villain in town. Jaehyun hates him. Jaehyun absolutely _ despises _him.

There’s no exact reason - aside from the fact that he’s evil incarnate, like every other asshole super villain in Seoul - but there’s just something about Blackout that annoys Jaehyun to no end, that makes him want to punch the guy in the stomach and kick him in the shin. He actually can, given the circumstances, or in this case, electrocute him just a little bit.

The thing is, he can't.

Blackout is a weasel, an elusive little shit that for the love of god cannot be caught. Maybe that's why he hates him; or maybe it's the fact that Jaehyun can't ever seem to wipe that obnoxious smirk off his face. Or that he _ loves _to taunt and make fun of Jaehyun. It's nothing personal, it's just business - and Jaehyun will lock up that motherfucker if it's the last thing he does.

“Have you been skipping gym day, Zappy?” Blackout laughs, dodging one of Jaehyun’s volt strikes easily.

Jaehyun grunts, increasingly losing his patience with each blast Blackout evades. He's even making him sweat, the bastard! "You're insufferable," Jaehyun tries shouting but it ends up coming out more as a whine than anything else. It's embarrassing.

Pathetic, really. Blackout shouldn't even be his to deal with in the first place. He doesn't do physical violence, he doesn't do hostages, he doesn't even do robberies. He's a Level C criminal, just a level in front of D, the lowest of the lows. Jaehyun is a Level A superhero, he needs to be out there fighting the murderers and crazy, evil supervillains, not some unemployed wimp who got lucky with the gene lottery. Jaehyun has better things to do. Surely.

It's just that—he's mocking Jaehyun! He's sure of it, it's like Blackout knows something Jaehyun doesn't, as if he's taunting a child, making him feel less than adequate, chasing something he can't quite reach. And Jaehyun's one and only weakness has always been his loathing of being upped by anyone else. So yes, he's going to catch Blackout and make him pay for reducing him to a loser.

"As much as I would love to stay here with you," Blackout shouts, both men floating in the air, "I need to get going. But don't get me wrong, Electron, this was absolutely fun. We should do it more often. Toodles." He zaps away at a rapid speed, although Jaehyun could chase him if he wanted to. He takes a look at the sky, then at his watch.

Every fiber in Jaehyun's body is telling him to go after the other man, that this is as good as chance as any. But he also sees the sun starting to rise up, the dark clouds slowly turning into a golden orange, signaling a new day. He doesn't have much time until office hours start, and he has already used up most of his sick day excuses anyway.

"Fuck this," he hisses under his breath, flying away towards the dumpster behind Main St. and Teheran.

“I’m going to be late,” he laments to himself, his feet lightly touching the ground in the dark alleyway behind the Ministry of Justice building. It's his makeshift hideout, where he keeps his spare suit and tie; it's humiliating, to say the least, to take off his spandex superhero outfit, get semi-naked behind a dumpster, and try and look half presentable for work. It’s ok though, it's not like any of his co-workers hang out in the middle of a dark alleyway at five thirty in the morning.

_ “Jaehyun?” _he hears a vaguely familiar voice exclaim behind him.

He turns around in panic, trying to cover any and all dignity between his bare legs. 

And there’s Kim Doyoung, hand covering his mouth, in the middle of an alleyway, and it’s all pretty embarrassing considering Jaehyun has been crushing on him for the past month and there he is, with no pants and his mouth hanging open. “Doyoung?” he scrambles, trying to put his pants back on. “What are you doing here?”

“Nothing. Taking a walk,” the other manages to croak out, “Wanted to get here early.”

Jaehyun arches an eyebrow, opens his mouth to excuse himself but then—

He looks down at the piece of clothing Doyoung is holding in his hands, a black, sleek material with red stripes. A burgundy red that Jaehyun knows too well. He’s looked at it many times in the past month. Doyoung must see what Jaehyun has noticed, for he hides the costume behind his back before Jaehyun can comprehend what’s going on.

“I cosplay,” Doyoung says. 

Jaehyun lets it all sink in for a moment before turning to look down at his own suit, now on the floor, by his feet.

Doyoung follows his sight.

Silence. A silence so heavy it feels ridiculous. Everything feels ridiculous.

Doyoung looks up, not looking at Jaehyun, eyes dead. "Well. This explains a lot." He walks past Jaehyun oh, so casually. "Don't talk to me during lunch."

⚡️

“So Prosecutor Kim is Blackout?” Mark asks, eyes on his turkey sandwich. “Dude, you have to admit. That's kind of hilarious.”

“No, Mark, it's _ not _ hilarious. You’re not the one who has to see him everyday,” he whines, draping all over the couch, pajama shirt riding up to his torso. “It’s _ so _hard trying not to punch him in the face whenever I see him in the copy machine room.”

Mark shrugs, “I think you're just mad because you have the hots for him.”

“Honestly, who do you take me for?” he sits up, frowning, “That I would just overlook how he's literally a supervillain _ just _because he’s hot?”

“Do you want the answer to that?”

“No.”

“Good,” he finishes his sandwich, crushing the wrapper into a tiny ball. He aims at the trash bin and misses. “Well, at least you can figure out who the hell is that annoying Sonic Boom. I must destroy him, Jaehyun, I must.”

“It's not like I _ talk _to Doyoung. We're not pals. We hate each other.”

“Ah, this is too funny. You actually like Black—”

“I don't.”

“Whatever you say.” He stands up, dusting off his pants, “Anyway, see you tomorrow, I have a date with Hyuck tonight so… I probably won't have the papers you wanted by tomorrow.”

He should definitely fire Mark.

⚡️

It goes without saying.

Yes, Jaehyun wants to obliterate Blackout - aka Kim Doyoung - as quickly as possible, but he can't snitch on him either. If he were to be captured, it is most likely Doyoung would snitch on him back, and having his identity revealed is definitely _ not _an option for Jaehyun.

He'll have to do it the old way, he supposes. Capture Doyoung as Electron, not Jaehyun. He'd like to think Doyoung would honor their unspoken agreement.

Still, it is utter torture being forced to face Doyoung every single day at work. True, their offices are nowhere near each other and it's not like the Ministry building is small by any means, but the knowledge that he's within walking distance to supervillain Blackout makes Jaehyun want to retch.

"Hey! Are you almost done with the microwave, I've been waiting for five minutes, Jung." Doyoung barks out, making Jaehyun jump in surprise.

"No, I'm _ not _done. My chicken needs to be tender, excuse you," he sniffs back without a second glance. He can feel Doyoung fuming for a few seconds before the squeak of his shoes resonate throughout the room.

"Whatever, I'm using the other break room." Doyoung leaves unceremoniously and Jaehyun considers this a win for him and him only. The other break room smells like mildew, perfect for Doyoung.

"Is this how you flirt?” Sicheng snorts, slurping on his own cup of ramen. "I actually feel bad for you."

"I wasn't flirting," he grumbles, taking a seat next to his co-worker, careful not to wrinkle his finely pressed suit. "He just - gets on my nerves."

"You were all over him last month," he arches an eyebrow. “I’m pretty sure I heard Judge Byun and Judge Park gossip about it.”

"People change and grow, Sicheng," Jaehyun bites angrily into his chicken. "I'm a better person now. I've learned to hate Doyoung. Even if he does have nice legs."

"This is definitely a trainwreck,” Sicheng sighs, “Just please don't have hate sex in any of the offices.”

⚡️

For awhile, it _ isn't _ a trainwreck.

Sure, he has to learn how to mingle and pretend Doyoung isn't his mortal enemy, _ on top _ of having to work seven to eight hours a day _ and _be the great superhero Electron whenever the people need him. He's proactive, honestly, and he can't wait to get the Civilian of the Year award, he's earned it.

It is on a cold December morning, where he's huddled next to the coffee machine and trying to absorb any heat from his styrofoam cup, that Taeyong, as all best friends do, fucks with his life just a little bit.

"What?" Doyoung frowns, taking an erratic step forward after Jaehyun gives him a stink eye.

"You reek of smoke."

"Well, stop smelling me, you creep."

Doyoung walks away yet again without another word and Jaehyun realizes it was not the coffee machine nor his drink that was keeping him somewhat warm in this sub-zero temperature, but rather, Doyoung's natural body heat. Must be nice being a portable human heater.

He starts chattering, mentally cursing the stupid governement for not wanting to spend money on good heating, before he feels someone slide next to him.

"So, Jaehyun," Taeyong smiles, taking the cup of hot chocolate from him, "I just got chills."

"Tell me about it, it's freezing in here." Jaehyun takes back his cup.

"_No," _he shakes his head, "Like right now. I saw you talking with Doyoung and the greatest idea just hit me."

Jaehyun's senses are tingling. And not in a good way. "What idea?"

"You two. As a couple," he says in excitement, his eyes crinkling and shiny and _ geez _, Taeyong is ridiculous. "Your chemistry is incredible, I need to set you up on a date. I can't believe I hadn't thought of this before.”

_ "What _chemistry?" Jaehyun frowns, "Just because you think I'm lonely doesn't mean I have to date the first lizard-man you can think of."

"You haven't gone on a date in over a year, Jaehyun!"

"I'm busy. _ Really _ busy."

"See? That's exactly what Doyoung says too," Taeyong sighs, "You need to relax. I think it would be a good idea if you guys help each other unwind a little bit."

"You want us to _ fuck?" _

"No, I want you to get married."

"Taeyong, _ no." _

⚡️

“Me too, Mr. Electron!” the kid jumps, “I want an autograph too!”

Jaehyun shoots both kids in front of him a shining smile, making sure his dimples are visible. “Of course! Anything for a good civilian like you.” He takes the offered piece of napkin while the two boys giggle in the background, jumping up and down in giddiness.

If there’s anything Jaehyun likes about the job it is definitely the little kids that look up to him. Sure, Electron might not be the public’s favorite - not like that damn _ Black Cat _who takes the number one spot every single year - but he has the demographic of five to fifteen year olds on lock. He’s such a role model, honestly.

“What’s your name, kid?” he asks under the mask. It’s getting kind of hot outside and the tight costume is not doing much to help him. His palms are sweaty.

“Zhong Chenle, but… it's in chinese, you can leave it out.”

“No, no,” he shakes his head, “I’ll try.”

Chenle smiles shyly, “It’s ok. Mr. Electron, you don't have to.”

Jaehyun ruffles his hair and scribbles on the napkin. _ To one of my dearest Protons. Keep on being electric! _

Chenle takes the napkin with the biggest grin on his face. His friend rushes over, both looking at the signature in awe. Just as Jaehyun is about to say his goodbyes, the sound of glass shattering followed by people screaming make all three of them turn around in an instant, stunned.

He tries using his super vision to locate what’s going on, but Jisung, Chenle’s friend, is quicker to notice.

“It’s Blackout!” he points at the clear figure of a flying man. He seems excited.

“Do you think he’ll give us his autograph too?” Chenle asks.

Jaehyun frowns, turning to look at them,“What? No. He’s a villain! He’s a bad influence on you.”

Jisung rolls his eyes, “We don’t like him. We just want his autograph.”

“Do you think his will sell better than Electron’s?” Chenle asks, any previous sweetness to him gone.

“Maybe,” Jisung says with wide eyes, “We can just bid them on Ebay to the highest seller, anyway.”

Jaehyun’s blood boils just a little bit. He doesn’t let it show though, not when he’s a _ nice guy. _

“_Scram it, turds! _” He zaps Chenle’s finger making him yowl in pain. “Go away before I electrify you whole!”

“I bet Blackout would sell better, anyways!” Jisung yells before grabbing a screaming Chenle by the arm and dragging him away.

Would - Would Blackout’s autograph actually sell better than Jaehyun's? He knows Blackout’s popularity has been on the rise, but it’s not like Electron is cheap either. 

Jaehyun doesn’t let himself ponder for too long before his feet take off the ground, flying towards the manic silhouette in the distance.

“Don't you _ dare _sell overpriced bagels anymore, Lee Jinki!” Doyoung howls, pointing at a middle aged man in a baker hat. “You're stupid if you think they're worth 10,000 won!”

“Leave him alone, Blackout,” Jaehyun growls, “Stop harassing civilians and mess with someone with powers.”

The bagels _ are _overpriced, Jaehyun hates Jinki the Baker for that.

Doyoung turns to face him, his face covered with a black mask but Jaehyun still recognizes his brown, static eyes. Now that he thinks about it, how did he ever not connect the dots? Everything about Blackout screams Doyoung, from his figure, his voice, his stance. Powerful in the same way Doyoung stands in court, demanding all attention on him.

“Trust me, Electron, we are _ not _on the same level.”

“At least we can agree on that,” Jaehyun says right before shooting a lightning strike towards Doyoung.

He evades it quickly, of course, as is routine.

It seems today Sonic Boom is not with Doyoung, just like Morph isn't with Jaehyun, it's a one versus one fight.

“How are your eyebrows doing?” Doyoung _ dares _to ask.

Jaehyun says back, “They’re doing better than ever, actually. Got them groomed yesterday.”

Doyoung laughs, throwing his head back in a cackle - he does the villain role too well.

Jaehyun tries striking him again, a lightning Doyoung dodges with ease.

“Ok, let’s go,” Doyoung sighs, as if he’s doing Jaehyun a favor.

That afternoon, neither of them win over the other and Jaehyun’s muscles end up aching for the rest of the night. Oddly, he thinks - and he won’t ever admit it save for that second of weakness - it’s not everyday that he gets to fly across the sky and have a little fun with his powers. Even if it means having to chase Doyoung around.

⚡️

Five months, three weeks.

That's how long Taeyong has kept up his little plan of hell. If anything, Jaehyun commends him for such perseverance, truly golden Prosecutor Lee.

“So how was your day today?” Taeyong looks down at the menu. They’re having dinner at a stupidly expensive restaurant, one Taeyong, apparently, chose this time. _ Le Russie_. It’s presumptuous and uppity and Jaehyun likes it.

“Look at this crab,” Jaehyun salivates, reading over the main courses. “Or this lamb!” There's a beat of silence, “Are you sure you're going to pay for this, Taeyong?”

“Of course,” he nods, smile in place. “It's my treat, I asked you guys, after all. Although, I do wish maybe next time you would come here by yourselves. Just you -”

“No.” Jaehyun doesn't let him finish.

Doyoung butts in, glasses perched atop his nose, “_ But, _they do have expensive macaroons, we should order them. You're paying anyway.”

“This - this isn't what I planned,” Taeyong sighs. Jaehyun should feel a little bit bad for his best friend but Taeyong brought this all upon himself.

“I think I’ll have the lamb, then.” Jaehyun decides, “And another one of those sparkly lemonades. They look expensive.”

“They _ taste _expensive,” Doyoung slurps his drink, “I feel for your wallet, Yong.”

Taeyong grumbles but doesn't complain further, instead, munching on the cheese quiche in front of them.

God, if the public ever found out about their golden superhero Electron sharing sparkly pink lemonade drinks with Blackout - it’d be chaos. Jaehyun hates himself for it already.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Taeyong says, looking from Jaehyun to Doyoung, “How was your day at work?”

Jaehyun shrugs, “It was alright, a lot of paperwork. Mark being stupid. I dropped some coffee on my shirt. The usual.”

Doyoung takes a quiche from the table, “You haven’t had a real case in a while, Jung. You know what they say," he glances at his food with an indifferent look before taking a bite, "Retirement's going to get you soon."

Jaehyun's nostrils flare up, "I'm not as old and decrepit as you. Every time you cough I can see the dust coming out of your lungs so sit down."

It seems Doyoung takes no offense to this, perhaps Jaehyun is losing his touch. "Call it what you want, in a few years you'll be referring to me as Judge Kim, so be careful."

"As if!" Jaehyun exclaims, "_You _want to be judge? It's already bad enough as it is having you working with the law. You're just mocking us at this point."

"What?" Taeyong looks up from his straw.

"Oh, please, give me a break, I know at least half a dozen public defendants that are knee-deep in corruption, you shouldn't worry about me, Jaehyun. Focus on you and maybe one day you'll strive to be as good as me."

Jaehyun shakes his head, "Two wrongs don't make a right."

"Ok, _ well_," Taeyong stands up, "I'm going to go pee, if the waiter gets here just tell him I want the buttered lobster."

"Sure," Jaehyun waves him away, Doyoung gives him a thumbs up.

When Taeyong is out of earshot, Jaehyun leans forward, eyes slit, and says with a hiss, "A criminal is still a criminal, you fiend. I can't believe you're trying to infiltrate the government and destroy it from the inside. You got balls, I give you that."

"Right," Doyoung yawns, "That's exactly what I'm doing. It's not like I've put more criminals in jail this past month than you for the past half year. I'm so counterproductive, look at me."

"_How dare you,_" That's not true! Jaehyun is an efficient lawyer, one of the best! Doyoung is just a jealous, wicked little man that's trying to hurt Jaehyun's feelings.

"Aw, you're so sensible," Doyoung coos, "So easy to rile up. Maybe if Tornado Strike knew about this he'd defeat you in no time. Squash you down like an insect."

"Well maybe you oughta tell him seeing as you can't defeat me yourself."

It's almost comical how Doyoung's face drops from an arrogant smirk to a deep frown; it seems Jaehyun isn't the only conceited one at the table. "Don't make me laugh, worm. I would've gotten you killed since the moment you first derailed my plans. You just happen to be _ entertaining_."

"Ah," Jaehyun hums. "It's the dimples, isn't it?"

"Maybe."

Jaehyun opens his mouth to reply but his voice is swallowed by a crash and a sudden force that throws him to the floor.

It takes him exactly five seconds to recognize the ear-splitting noise, having heard it too many times before. An explosion. His head feels dizzy and his sight is blurry but Jaehyun's fight-or-flight response is innate by now, he tries balancing himself to a standing position, only to find Doyoung already on his feet as well.

There's people running and screaming all over the place, some trying to make sense of what's happening, others trying to flee the restaurant in between all the debris and fire. What's happening?

"Jaehyun," Doyoung mutters, his eyes set somewhere behind Jaehyun. He follows the other's sight, only to be met by a giant, black mecha that comes crashing through the restaurant's walls.

"Ugh," Jaehyun grunts, "Mecha Night? _ Really? _ What the fuck does _ he _ want?" Jaehyun can't have a nice evening out, can't he? Fuck supervillains!

"Well," Doyoung sits back down, slurping on his drink only to find that it's almost done, "This is your jurisdiction, Jung. Go ahead. I mean, I'm assuming you've got your suit on and everything. Damn loser."

"You want me to _ attack _ him?” Jaehyun is flabbergasted, as if the idea that he, a superhero, going after Mecha Night, a supervillain, is absurd. “This was supposed to be my day off.”

“Why can't _ you _ help?” he frowns at Doyoung, the sound of people yelling becomes background noise, “You can at least distract him with your ass or something while I try to catch him.”

“You're insufferable,” Doyoung stands up, “I’d leave you here alone but I need to find Taeyong first.”

Taeyong.

“Taeyong! Fuck,” Jaehyun scrambles up, eyes all over the place, scanning for his friend. “Where did he say he was going? The restroom?”

They both set their eyes toward the corner of the room, where most of the debris has gone to.

“Just go put on your mask and go get him,” Doyoung barks out before looking back at Mecha Night with a _ tsk _, “Annoying.”

Jaehyun doesn't need to be told twice and blasts off towards the semi-dilapidated restroom, taking out his ever present yellow mask and almost ripping off his blazer and shirt, revealing his blue Electron suit. Most of the customers and employers have already left the building, thank god, so Jaehyun isn't too worried about being seen.

He does, however, panic at the sight that greets him. Most of the outer wall has been destroyed, a giant hole in the middle of the bathroom stalls, pieces of cement and rock strewn all across the street and room. Taeyong lays on the floor, his hair matted with sweat, and leg crushed under a particularly big piece of wall.

“Fuck,” Jaehyun hisses before rushing to his aid, “Are you alright?” he says in a louder tone.

“Barely,” Taeyong replies, eyes unfocused and clearly losing consciousness, “My leg kind of hurts, though.”

“No shit,” Jaehyun shakes his head. Taeyong always did have a penchant for undermining the situation. He lifts the rock off from his friend with ease. If Taeyong barely reacts to the pain is because he’s close to losing consciousness. Maybe that's better, Jaehyun thinks, he’d be better off without seeing Jaehyun and Doyoung in spandex.

“Electron,” Taeyong murmurs with a short laugh when Jaehyun picks him up bridal style. “Ha. That's funny. My best friend has a crush on you, I think.”

Taeyong doesn’t see him, but Jaehyun still rolls his eyes with a half-smile. _ I don’t have a crush on him, silly, _ he thinks, _ it’s me! I’m Electron! And now I’m here saving your ass and you don’t even know it. _

Taeyong keeps on laughing, hopelessly losing sanity as the pain dwindles his awareness. “He thinks I don’t remember but I saw his lockscreen last year. Doyoung is _ so _dumb,” Taeyong giggles before his head drops to Jaehyun’s chest.

Wait, _ what? _

Jaehyun shakes his head, the sound of an ambulance in the distance, “C’mon, buddy, let’s get you out of here,” he takes off through the broken down roof, flying towards the street, where he can hopefully leave Taeyong with an ambulance. His leg isn’t that bad, maybe a broken bone, but he should be fine with a little help from the paramedics.

He gently places Taeyong on the asphalt, making sure his leg doesn’t move more than necessary before he whistles at a pair of men in white, signaling them to come over.

“I’ll leave him to you,” Jaehyun nods, voice an octave lower than normal. His Electron voice.

The men nod back, instantly rushing over to Taeyong’s aid, “Thanks, Electron.”

Jaehyun turns back to the restaurant, where he can still hear Mecha Night’s whirring metallic noises.

The thing about Mecha Night is that, somehow, no matter how many times he's been captured by different superheroes, he always gets out. Maybe Doyoung is right, maybe there's a little bit more corruption within the government and the law enforcement in Seoul that Jaehyun is aware of.

He sees the giant piece of black metal, claws coming from it, wreaking havoc throughout the Gangnam avenue. This is going to cost the city millions of won, for sure.

Mecha Knight must see him, for he turns around and starts running towards him, metallic claws ready to cut him into pieces.

It’s ok, Jaehyun thinks, he's going to end this stupid little villain once and for all. He can't say it's going to be easy, Mecha Night is a ranked A+ criminal; he's only been against him once before, and he had teamed up with Johnny. It had been chaos. Still, he can _ so _take him by himself. He is the great Electron, after all.

“Hey, scrap metal!” a voice yells, leaving an unsettling feeling in the depths of Jaehyun's stomach. It's Doyoung, now in full suit and mask. Now who’s the loser? “Where do you think you’re going?”

Mecha Night turns around again, now cornered by Electron and Blackout in each side. He seems confused for a second before ultimately choosing to face Doyoung.

“_Hey?"_ Jaehyun shrieks, “Face me, you coward!” He yells at Doyoung who now looks entirely too satisfied. “You had your chance, Blackout! He's mine now!”

“What are you talking about?” Doyoung replies, eyes never leaving Mecha Night’s enclosing figure, “I was waiting for you.”

“Waiting for what?”

“For you to see this,” he smiles, making eye contact with Jaehyun for a fraction of a second before Doyoung's palm opens up, arm stretched out towards Mecha Night. 

A stream of fire so big produces from Doyoung's hand, Jaehyun has never seen anything quite like it before. It's nothing like Doyoung's red, fiery streams of flames he uses against Jaehyun or overpriced bakeries. No, this is loud, concentrated, bright blue flames licking at the center of the blast. 

Jaehyun has little to no time to move out of the way, it almost gets him. He can feel the infernal heat and it's no wonder, the blast is ten times bigger than Doyoung himself - bigger than Mecha Night, and Jaehyun can't help but look on with wide eyes, a little bit in awe at the beautiful - terrifying - true flame of Blackout.

The metal is completely and utterly charred, obliterated into burnt particles. A sole figure blasts off from the melted metallic mess, shooting into the sky and flying away from Doyoung's fire. It might've been all the smoke and fire, but Jaehyun thinks that strange figure resembled Kim Jungwoo, son of the city’s mayor. It couldn't possibly be, right?

“Fuck,” Doyoung startles him, the sound of more ambulances and police cars echoing through the streets. “Well, that's my cue to leave.”

“Why?” Jaehyun coughs out, the smoke burning his eyes and throat, “You didn't do anything wrong! We can tell them it was Mecha Night.”

“Oh, sweet Jung Jaehyun. It doesn't matter who did it. A supervillain is still a supervillain. Maybe one day you'll understand.” He pauses, seemingly thinking his words. “See you at work tomorrow.”

Jaehyun only watches his retreating figure before he takes off in flight, leaving a mess of flames and heat behind him. “See you at work.”

⚡️

Jaehyun’s steps echo through the hallway, the familiar path from his office to the lunch room mundane by now.

_ i’ll send the papers tomorrow, gonna go hang out with hyuck tonight x, _Mark’s text message reads and Jaehyun clicks his tongue in faux annoyance. College kids these days know nothing about respect.

He pockets his phone before entering the room, his hands clasping onto a white paper bag.

He sits down at his usual table, letting out a sigh and placing the paper bag in the middle. “Here.”

“You're late,” Doyoung looks up from his phone. “I'm hungry.”

“It's not my fault you want this stupidly specific type of scone?” Jaehyun retorts, taking out his own warm bagel. “So high maintenance.”

“Well, look who's talking, Mr. Electrobrat.” Doyoung sniffs, the gooey peach marmalade oozing from his scone.

Oh, well, Doyoung does have good insult nicknames.

“How's Taeyong?” he eyes the empty spot that their friend usually occupies.

Doyoung says in between bites, “He's alright. He needs to stay one more night at the hospital but only for safety reasons. He's healthy and extremely chirpy. Although that might've been the painkillers.”

Jaehyun nods, “We should go visit him together this afternoon. He’ll appreciate if we take him some cake.”

“I was thinking the same,” Doyoung agrees with reluctance, “Chocolate cake?”

“Chocolate cake.”

“Hm,” Jaehyun ponders, “This kind of sounds like the date Taeyong always wanted us to have.”

Doyoung snorts, “In a hospital. With a drugged up Taeyong in between us and eating bland hospital food?”

“Sounds perfect, to be honest.”

“You would think that, of course.”

“Or,” Jaehyun starts, playing with the napkin in front of him, slowly shredding it to pieces. “We can also just grab a bite afterwards. Maybe. If you want to.”

“Oh,” Doyoung’s eyes widen before he looks at his coffee. “I mean, sure. Not like a date, right?”

“No?” Jaehyun asks innocently, “Being asked on a date by the handsome Electron is too much for you?”

A rush of blood rushes up Doyoung's neck and cheeks, dusting his face with faint pink. “Shut up or my brain cells will die Jung Jaehyun.”

“Is that a yes?”

“Do you want it to be a yes?”

Jaehyun tries to hide his smile behind a bite of bagel. Doyoung never lets him win.

“Sure.”

Who would've known that, perhaps, Lee Taeyong was right, they _ could _go well together. Fire with thunder seems like a dangerously good idea.

⚡️

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! kudos and comments are greatly appreciated!
> 
> you can also find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/ten_taeil) and [curious cat!](https://curiouscat.me/nakamoon)


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